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:-No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. J. OEHRING & A. L. TUCKER. SCENIC THEATER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SUNBPPEGT.

No. 555,113. Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. J. OEHRING 8: A. L. TUCKER. SCENICTHEATER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SUN EFFECT. No. 555,113.

Patented Feb. 25

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. J. OEHRING & A. L. TUCKER. SCENIC THEATER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SUNEFFECT.

N0. 555,113. Op izjzented Feb. 25, 1896.

5 mil flekrzzg 275% (7%0772 eys 4 Sheets-Sheet .4. A. J. OEHRING & A. L.TUCKER.- SCENIC THEATER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SUN EFFECT.

No. 555,113. Patented Feb. '25, 1896.

(No Model.)

ANDREW B.GRAHAM.PHUTD-LII'HQWASNINGTUNJL UNTTE STATES PATENT FFICE.

AUGUST J. OEIIRING AND ALBERT L. TUCKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS-SIGXORS TO THE WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SCENIC-THEATER APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SUN EFFECT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,113, dated February25, 1896.

Application filed May 13, 1895. Serial No. 549,133. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that we, AUGUST J. OEHRING and ALBERT L. TUCKER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inScenic- Theater Apparatus for Producing Sun Eifect, (Oehring Case No.11, Tucker Case No. 4,) of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to scenic-theater apparatus, and more particularlyto apparatus for producing a traveling-sun effect.

The object of our invention is to provide means for lighting the stageof the scenic theater and the objects of the landscape provided thereonwith alight that shall simulate in varying intensity and the directionof its rays the light of the sun, whereby the landscape presents theappearance of beinglighted by a traveling sun, producing shiftingshadows, and by a light of varying intensity to suggest the progress anddecline of the day.

To accomplish the above objects we provide lights just back of theproseenium-opening, but removed from the edges of the opening so as tobe invisible to the audience, the lights being caused to ascend from aposition on a level with the objects of the landscape to produce theshadows of the rising sun, the lights then passing across the stageabove the prosceniumopening to present the appearance of the travel ofthe midday sun, the lights then descending upon the opposite side of theproscenium-opening to cause the objects of the landscape to throwgradually lengthening shadows to represent the setting of the sun. Bythis movement of the lights the shadows are caused to shift inaccordance with the shadows produced by the sun; but the audience seeonly the shadows, the lights traveling in such a manner as to remainalways invisible to the audience.

As the sun rises, the light, at first of a reddish color, changesthrough orange, gold, &c. to white, the color gradually changing fromwhite to red again as the sun sets, and to produce this effect the lightis passed through screens properly colored to give the light thisvarying color.

lVe will describe our invention in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a view illustrating our invention, thecircuit connections being shown in diagram. Fig. 2 is a detail view ofthe mechanism for causing the lights to ascend and descend. Fig. 3 is apartial sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view ofthe horizontally-traveling lights and the mechanism for moving the same.Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. (3 is a rear viewof the horizontally-traveling lampcarriage. Fig. 7 is an end viewthereof.

Like letters refer to like parts in the several figures.

An arm a is pivoted to rotate about an axis a and carries upon its end anumber of in candescent lamps a four being shown in the drawings, behindwhich lamps is a reflector a A segmental rack a is mounted upon the arm(I. and meshes with a worm (0*, adapted to be positively driven torotate the segmental gear and consequently the arm a, thus raising thearm from a horizontal to a vertical position and causing the lampscarried on the end thereof to travel upward in a curved path. A weight ais secured to a cord a passing over pulleys and around a segmentalpulley a mounted upon the arm a, the weight a thus counterbalancing theweight of the arm a and the lamps.

The lamps a are illustrated as connected in circuit with a dynamo b anda rheostat b, the traveling contact 6 of the rheostat being adapted tobe moved to cut in or out resistance.

In front of the lamps a a screen 0 is provided, varying from a reddishcolor at the bottom, through orange, gold, &c., to white at the top, sothat as the lamps are raised the color of the projected light variesgradually from red through the intermediate colors to white to presentthe appearance of the change of the color of sunlight as the sun risesin the morning. As the lamps begin their ascent, all of the resistanceof the rheostat b is in circuit, but is gradually cut out as the lampsrise to increase the brilliancy of the light.

In a concurrently-pending application, Serial No. 549,136, we havedescribed means for automatically actuating the traveling contact of arheostat to cut in and out resistance at the proper time, and we preferto employ such means for operating the traveling contact in the presentinstance.

As the lamps a approach the upper end of their travel the lights aregradually dimmed, and finally extinguished. Atthe same time that thelamps a are being dimmed and extinguished a series of lamps cZ providedupon a traveling carriage d is cut into circuit and gradually increasedin brilliancy by the movement of the traveling contact (1 of therheostat (1 which is connected in circuit with the lamps d.

Behind and above the lamps d is provided a reflector (1*. Upon the rearof the carriage d are provided wheels (1 which travel on a track 6, pins6 being provided upon the carriage beneath the bar 6 constituting thetrack to prevent the carriage from leaving the track. Upon the carriageis provided a pair of collecting brushes or contacts 6 e adapted rear ofthe carriage d is secured an endless cord g, which passes around thepulleys g g mounted to rotate in bearings g Mounted to rotate with thepulley g is a gear-wheel 9 adapted to mesh with a positively-drivenpinion 9 to cause the endless cord 9 to be moved in one direction or theother to impart motion to the carriage d.

lVhen the lampsd are lighted, the carriage (Z is at one end of itsstrokethe left, as seen in Fig. l-and the endless cord g is driven tomove the carriage d to the right. Upon the right of theproscenium-opening is provided an arm 71 pivoted at h and carrying uponits end a series of lamps 72 behind which is a reflector h". Mountedupon the arm h is a segmental gear 7L5 adapted to mesh with apositively-driven screw h, whereby the arm may be rotated upon its axis.A weight 2' is suspended from a cord 2', which passes over loose pulleysand about a segmental pulley P, the weight thus serving tocounterbalance the weight of the arm 7L and the lamps carried upon theend thereof. The lamps ]L3 are connected in circuit with a dynamo 7c anda rheostat 7; having a traveling contact k The arm h normally rests in avertical position, and when the horizontally-traveling carriage CZapproaches the end of its travel to the right the lamps dare graduallydimmed and extinguished, and at the same time the circuit is closedthrough the lamps ha, and

the brilliancy of the light is gradually in-.

creased. The arm h is then rotated toward the horizontal position, thuscausing the shadows thrown by the objects of the landscape on the stageto gradually lengthen. In front of the lamps 7L3, as they descend, isprovided a screen 1, colored whiteat the upper end, the coloringgradually changing through gold, orange, &c., to red near the lower end,so that as the lamps 7L3 descend the light is caused to graduallyapproach a red to present the appearance of the light of the settingsun.

In Fig. l the pivoted arms aand h are illus trated diagrammatically asmoving in the plane of travel of the horizontally-traveling carriage cl;but in practice the arms a and h move in planes perpendicular to theplane of travel of the carriage d, and while the arms a and h areillustrated as of such a length that when occupying vertical positionsthe lamps carried upon their ends are at the same height as thetraveling carriage d it may be desirable to make the arms of a lesslength in order that the lamps may not be visible to the audience as thearms rotate.

The operation of the apparatus as above described is as follows: The arma occupies, at the start, a horizontal position, the carriage (1 beingat the leftward end of its travel, while the arm h occupies its verticalposition. Circuit is closed through the lamps a and the resistance ofthe rheostat is gradually cut out to in crease the brilliancy of thelight. At the same time the arm a is rotated to cause the lamps to riseand cause the shadows thrown by the objects of the landscape togradually decrease in length. As the lamps a rise the color of the lightgradually changes from red to white, due to the intervention of screen0. As the lamps a approach the upper end of their travel they aregradually dimmed and then cut out of circuit, the lamps d being at thesame time lighted and gradually increased in brilliancy. It will beobserved that there are a greater number of lamps on the carriage (2than upon the end of the arm a, so that the light will be more intenseafter the lamps (Z are thrown completely into circuit and the lamps acut out than while the lamps a are alone in the circuit. Theextinguishment of the lamps a and the lighting of the lamps d iseiiected so gradually that the resultant light continuously increases inbrilliancy. The carriage cl then travels across the stage, causing ashifting of the shadows to suggest the travel of the midday sun. hen thecarriage d approaches the end of its travel the lamps (Z are graduallyextinguished and the lamps 7L3 gradually lighted, the resultant lightproduced being one of gradually-decreasing brilliancy. The arm h is thenrotated to its horizontal position to cause the lamps 71/ to descend,the shadows thrown by the objects of the landscape being thus graduallylengthened. The passage of the lamps Jfibehind the screen Z causes thelight to gradually change to a reddish color.

IIO

Having thus described our invention,what We claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the stage of a scenic theater, of a pivoted armsituated to the rear and to one side of the prosceniumopening andcarrying lamps upon its end, a horizontally-travelin g lamp-carriageabove the proscenium-opening, a pivoted arm situated upon the oppositeside of the stage to the rear and to the side of the prosceniumopeningand carrying lamps upon the end thereof, and means for rotating saidpivoted arms advancing said carriage and lighting and extinguishing thelamps, substantially as described.

2. The combination With the rotating pivoted arm a, of the lamps acarried on the end thereof, the screen 0, the traveling carriage d, thelamps (1 carried thereon, the piv- 2o our names this 22d day ofSeptember, A. D. 25

AUGUST J. OEHRING. ALBERT L. TUCKER.

Witnesses:

\V. CLYDE JONES,

.iEORGE L. CRAGG.

